In seeking election to the Salem County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Democratic candidates Beth Timberman and Jeffrey Hogan said they are looking to return a sense of unity and pride to Salem County government.

With two three-year terms up for grabs on the seven-member freeholder board — which is currently split 4 to 3 with a Republican majority — the two Democrats will also be vying to regain majority control of the board.

Republicans took majority control last year for the first time in nine years.Timberman and Hogan are competing with four other candidates for the seats on the board.

Timberman and Hogan said they are running as a team to return power to the Democrats and return a sense of unity and teamwork to the county — which they said has been derailed by a lack of communication and micro-managing by Republicans on the board.

“This has been a bad, bad year in Salem County. I think the morale of our employees is at an all time low,” said Timberman. “...We’ve lost the confidence of our employees and our residents, and it’s going to take a lot to get that back.”

Hogan added, “There’s been a lot of micro-managing going on and real lack of communication... When you start doing things like that, morale goes down, and then employees go from giving you 120-percent to a lot less, and that hurts services. And who loses? The citizens of Salem County.”

Incumbent candidate Timberman, 51, of Woodstown, is looking to retain her seat on the board for her fourth consecutive term. She said after nine years in county government, she feels her experience as a veteran freeholder is a major asset to the county.

Over the past year, Timberman said she is most proud of her work championing for upgrades to the Salem County rail line, which she said is finally nearing completion, and for continued efforts in establishing tourism as a viable industry in the county.

“I think we really hit the nail on the head over the last couple years with tourism. We were on the map and people were aware of Salem County,” said Timberman. “It’s still happening despite the lack of coordination and budget ... but can we do more and can we do better? Absolutely.”

Hogan, 65, of Pennsville, is seeking a second term on the board. He previously served as freeholder from 2007 to 2009, but was not re-elected. He has remained an active volunteer in the community, currently serving on nine different boards, including boards for local chapters of the American Red Cross, United Way, and the Mid-Atlantic Career and Education Center.

“I learned a lot in my first three years on the freeholder board,” said Hogan. “I’ve served on a number of boards since then ... which has given me knowledge of these services and how to direct residents to our county’s resources.”

In looking at some of the key issues facing Salem County in the coming year, the Democrats said they would look to spur economic growth by making the county more attractive to businesses.

Along with better payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) programs and energy credits that the county could offer to businesses, Timberman and Hogan said the freeholders should seek to reduce some of the red tape businesses need to cut through to come into the county.

They’d also like to see improvements to the Interstate 295 exits to make the county more accessible.

“Tourism would come back. Businesses were doing great, they were reporting record sales,” she said. “I would re-establish the coordinator’s position. That job can’t be done part-time, it’s impossible with everything it involves.”

Hogan said the freeholder board should also look to improve communication with county employees. He said a lack of communication over the last year has created division in the county.

“There’s been a lot of micro-managing, which is not a good policy when our people know what to do,” said Hogan. “There’s not a lot of communication with our employees, and that’s disheartening to them. They want to have input, and they should have input at all times.”

If Democrats regain control of the board, they said Salem County residents can expect real change in the way the county is being run, and to see a sense of teamwork return to the freeholder board.

“Beth and I are a team and we want to get back in there and bring everybody together,” said Hogan. “People want to see a team back together. They want to see unity, not division.”

Timberman added, “If people want the same they can split their vote... but if they want change, if they want to see things improve, then they need to put our team back in.”

Timberman is a registered nurse, currently working as a school nurse in Lower Alloways Creek Township. She has one daughter.

Hogan is a retired businessman. He founded the weekly newspaper, the Salem County Sampler, in 1975 and was the owner of Travaglini’s Restaurant in Deepwater from 1986 to 2007. He and his wife Pam have three children and three grandchildren.

Also seeking election to the freeholder board are Republican candidates Ben Laury and Ed Segrest, and independent Walter Hudson.

Candidate: Beth TimbermanOffice sought: Re-election as Salem County freeholderParty: DemocratHometown: WoodstownAge: 51Prior elected office: Served three consecutive terms on the freeholder board, first elected in 2003.Occupation: School nurse at Lower Alloways Creek Township School; per diem nurse at Woodstown Family Practice.Personal: Timberman has been a registered nurse for 29 years. As a freeholder, Timberman is currently chairperson for the county Department of Social Services. She also served in many community and government organizations including two key roles as the president of the New Jersey Association of Counties and the South Jersey Freeholders Association. She has one daughter.

Candidate: Jeffrey HoganOffice sought: Salem County freeholderParty: DemocratHometown: PennsvilleAge: 65Prior elected office: Freeholder from 2007 to 2009.Occupation: RetiredPersonal: Hogan is very active in the county as a volunteer and currently serves on nine boards, including boards for local chapters of the American Red Cross and United Way. His wife Pam is a teacher in the Pennsville Township School District. They have three children, two grandchildren, and two more grandchildren on the way.

• Duties of a freeholder:The Salem County Board of Chosen Freeholders consists of seven members.Freeholders are elected at-large. The position is considered a part-time elected political post. Annual salary for a freeholder in 2012 is $24,424. The freeholder director is paid $25,404 per year. Freeholders are not eligible for health benefits.

Members serve staggered, overlapping three-year terms. Freeholders act as the county’s administrative heads. Each freeholder serves as a chairman to one or more of the county’s committees. Among them are the Administration & Finance, Public Works, Social Services, Public Services, Health, Public Safety and Shared Services, Planning, Transportation and Agriculture committees.

The board is given broad powers to regulate county property, finances and affairs. The board is responsible for adopting the county budget, authorizing expenditures and bonds, acting on claims against the county and administering all county departments, appointing county officials and members of boards, commissions, councils and authorities.

As a rule, the freeholders meet twice monthly (except during June, July and August when they meet once a month and at an earlier time) on the first and third Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Courthouse, on the corner of East Broadway and Market Street in Salem, preceded by a workshop meeting at 5:30 p.m. which is open to the public. Other special and committee meetings are held as warranted.

Political control of the freeholder board is currently 4 to 3 Republican.